ABPA — The Australian Bush Poets Association Inc.

Australian Bush Poetry Champions Roll of Honour

*The inaugural bush poetry championships were run in a rather unique manner.
The four competition categories were: Open Humorous, Open Serious, Open A B Paterson, Open Women’s.
¹ Gary Fogarty was awarded Australian Bush Poetry Champion (competing against both men and women)
as well as Australian A B Paterson Champion.
² Glenny Palmer was awarded Australian Women’s Bush Poetry Champion.

ABPA Executive Roll of Honour

 Other Executive Members:

Vale

It is with sadness that we pay tribute to ABPA members who are no longer with us.

Ken Dean

On New Year’s Eve Ken passed away in Lithgow hospital, NSW, after a long illness. Although he performed on occasion, Ken was mostly a writer of bush verse. He won some awards and produced two books of his own verse.

He and Milton Taylor were great mates. Although they worked together at one time, neither knew that the other wrote poetry. It wasn't something that was mentioned on building sites. It wasn't until years later that they met again, I think at a poetry event, that they admitted to each other that they were verse writers. The friendship was strengthened by their common interest and Ken and his wife Jeanette travelled extensively, attending poetry events and performances, especially those where Milton appeared.

Ken’s funeral was held at Hoskin’s Memorial Uniting Church, Lithgow on Tuesday 14th January 2025.

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Ron Selby 7.10.45 – 9.12.24

It is with great sadness that I need to inform everyone of the passing of Ron Selby on Monday December 9th.

A family man, Ron was married to Joy and had 3 children, 7 grandchildren and 7 great great grandchildren.

Originally from Sydney, Ron had a tough life as a youngster and later did all manner of jobs from truck driving to working in pubs and clubs and even as a DJ with Joy. It was the case in those days for many people of working several jobs to put together the deposit for a house and get out of the rental market.

He was a very proud Aussie, big on remembering the Vietnam vets (loved the expression: they gave their tomorrow for our today). He was quite a handyman with a penchant for making dog kennels and bars for those who referred to have a bar of their own in their house. He even made Joy a make-believe telephone box which took Joy back to the courting days. The days when either Ron or Joy would ring a public phone box at a certain time, and the other one would hopefully answer the phone. It meant you always had to have a threepence handy!

I first met Ron back in the 1990s and in 1994 Ron was the acting treasurer for the ABPA, the same year I was on the committee. Ron was also an inaugural secretary of the ABPA and editor of the monthly magazine as well as a stint as president.

He loved his bush poetry, and had books of verse out including a joke book and numerous CDs. His first book “The Born Loser” was published in 1998. This contained verse and stories about his life.

I’ve always thought of Ron as “Happy go lucky, reliable, and fair dinkum”.

My condolences go to Ron’s family, and extended family. Ron’s funeral was held Friday 20 December 2024 in Toowoomba.

Geoffrey W Graham.

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Jack Drake

Jack Drake passed away in the early hours of Monday 9 December 2024.

A favourite performer of so many fellow poets and audiences alike, Jack was a pleasure to watch. His “Cattledog’s Revenge” series and “Bronco Harry’s Last Ride” and “Realities of War” will go down as classic modern artworks.

Jack was a great bloke to know and chat with. He had extensive experience and knowledge of horses but he loved history. A prolific reader, he knew so much about history - both Australian and overseas - and authored several books himself. His most recent book “The Stringybark Fox” about legendary but little-known prospector John Dickie was launched at the Winton Outback Writers’ Festival in June 2024. It’s a great read and reveals the amazing exploits of a unique individual otherwise lost to history.

It was wonderful to see Jack appear at the final Tenterfield Oracles of the Bush Festival in April 2024. While he had retired from performance, it showed the love he had for poetry and his poetry mates. He will be sorely missed.

Jack’s funeral was held at the Stanthorpe Cemetery on Wednesday 18 December. RIP Jack Drake.

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Tom O’Connor

Tom O’Connor passed away suddenly on Friday 22/11/24. Tom and his wife Desma, always spoke so fondly of the Man from Snowy River Festival. It was such a special time in his life going to festivals to perform and admire other artists.

Desma is doing a wonderful job coping, although it was such a shock for us all. He had a huge stroke/bleed to the brain following a day procedure.

Evie Jennings (Granddaughter).

I have fond memories of dear Tom and enjoyable times shared with bush poets at festivals in Corryong and Benalla for many years. In 2019 he was so chuffed to win a personal trophy and his name added to the perpetual trophy for the coveted MFSR Recital award after several attempts. Always supported by Desi, Tom loved the friendships and camaraderie we all found within the bush poetry groups from all over the country. Thank you Tom.

Jan Lewis.

Today we say goodbye to Tom OConnor - a very special bloke, old school, big smile, great outlook on life, passionate about life, his family and his poetry. Tom was an avid traveller to many festivals to strut his stuff.. including Narrandera, Maldon, Benalla & Corryong and Bendigo Goldfields Bush Poets sessions…always accompanied by Desma.

In earlier days it was often Tom with his older brother Jack……what a pair!

Our condolences to Desma and his family. ...Sadly missed. RIP Tom.

Geoffrey W. Graham.

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Doc Bland

Derek Bland (Doc) has passed away after a valiant fight against cancer.

Doc leaves the love of his life Linda, his son Terry and daughter Summer Both their partners and the rest of his much-loved family. Doc was a fabulous person and will be missed terribly.

Please join family and friends as we say goodbye to a great man. There will be lots of poets, musicians and friends on Wednesday at 32 Tallowwood Drive, Deception Bay Qld in the chapel at 1.30. It would be great to send Doc off with the demonstration of our admiration and love for him.

Poem for Doc. (Derek BLAND)

When life on earth is at an end
And time has now been spent
We learn that years were ours to spend
But life is merely lent
But Doc our mate, our valued friend
We’ll keep you in our mind
Your smiling face will stay with us
Good friends are hard to find
We’ve loved your words, we sang your songs
Your books we'll keep with pride
Inspiring us for oh so long
It’s been a joyous ride
So now goodbye our lanky mate
No need to duck for doors
No pain or sadness, no more wait
The universe is yours.

Mick Martin.

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Shirley Friend

SHIRLEY FRIEND was everyone’s grandmother...although not everyone’s grandmother dealt so hilariously with such subjects. Her smash hit “The Mammogram”, has been praised by Women’s Breast Cancer groups for highlighting an important women’s health issue. Shirley was a surviver of breast cancer herself. If bush poetry if often thought of as bloke-dominated, Shirley certainly turned the tables as women laughed uproariously, as much amused by Shirley’s on-stage antics as they were by their squirming male partners in the seat beside them.

Her proper English delivery and sense of outraged propriety, sat in comedic juxtaposition with her subjects. Shirley and her late husband Cedric were truly beautiful people and will be missed greatly from our Bush Poets Family.

A doyen of Festivals such as Tamworth, Gympie, Woodford, Pomona and many more, she left behind a legacy of laughter, originality and love within everybody whose heart and funny bone she touched. RIP Shirley and our condolences to family and friends.

Shirley passed away on Tuesday 27 August 2024 and her life was celebrated on 5 September in Burpengary, Queensland.

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Garry Lowe

Garry Lowe was one of those wonderful entertainers who has experienced the hardships of life and come through the knocks to transmute his trials into performances that have brought joy to so many over many years. Garry was one of the fortunate bush poets who was around when the late Bobby Miller was alive and Bobby and many of his compatriots had a great influence on him. Garry’s own entertaining career as a bush poet really took off after he successfully auditioned for Red Faces’ on Melbourne’s Channel 9. He won $500 and was featured in the television show Hey, Hey it’s Saturday. The following year he got a spot with Jim Haynes at the Longyard and following his involvement in Tamworth, he became a ‘Longyard Legend’ in 2009 sharing the honours that year with his good mate Milton Taylor. Another career highlight for Garry was opening the Australian Bush Laureate Award nights for two years playing the national anthem on a gum leaf. He remembers these occasions as ‘spine-chilling’ experiences. As well as being a long term popular face around the ABPA Championships as both a successful competitor and as a performer/judge, Garry was runner up (to Milton Taylor) in the Winton Qantas Waltzing Matilda performance competition. He also spent seven winters entertaining the travellers at the caravan park in Blackall from 1996–2002 and a further four years in Mitchell during the flood period. He finally hung up his outback wandering boots in 2013 deciding that he no longer needed to “roam around like a mongrel dog”. Although a dedicated ‘cockroach’ he has spent the last four years in Queensland thanks to his relationship with a special ‘cane-toad’ lady. Garry passed away after ill health forced him from the Performing scene and he will be dearly missed by our Bush Poetry Family.

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John Lloyd

In early January we lost a genuine character and talented bush poet in the person of John Lloyd who died in Mackay Hospital. John was an ex-Queensland and Northern Territory ringer, bull catcher and buffalo breeder with a wealth of life experience that he brought to the bush poet’s stage in his unique gravelly voice.
He had the ability to have his audience laughing at the funny side of suddenly finding yourself astride the back of a wild bull and then have that same audience in awe as he described the beauty and majesty of the outback that he knew so well.
We extend our sympathy to wife Carmel and family at this sad time.

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William (Bill) Williams

Bill wrote both Poetry and yarns, some of his yarns are still on the forum, I’m not so sure about his poetry, it may have been lost on the old forum.
He had at least one book published ‘From The Humpy’. He was quite a character as a quote from the first page of his book bears out.
“Well, you may well ask a little about my history and I might not tell you the truth, but then again I might.”
He goes on to say he has lived in the Northern Territory, Northern Western Australia and northern Queensland in his younger days. And was once a stockman and a pro shooter when among other things he hunted buffalo and roos. In later life Bill lived in the Canberra area.
He wrote many entertaining yarns, you can look up some that are still on the Forum or the Yarn Spinning page.
He also wrote his own unique style of poetry, and if you can find a copy of his book you will get an insight into his own special style of writing.
Terry Piggott.
Terry also wrote a short poem “A Mate Of Mine Called Bill” in the ABPA Members’ Poetry page on the ABPA Forum.

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Dot Schwenke

ABPA member and award-winning poet Dot Schwenke passed away on Sunday 7th January at 8:00 am. She went peacefully with her family at her side. Dot’s body will be buried with other late members of he family in the local cemetery in St George, Queensland.
A graveside funeral will be held on Friday 12th January at 10 am, conducted by Rev. Jim Cosgrove, a dear friend of Dot’s, who will travel from Longreach for her interment.
There will also be a memorial service in Brisbane on Monday 15th January at 11:30 am. It will be held at the Southern Cross Catholic chapel in Scarborough with parking in Sunnyside Road.
Both St George and Southern Cross Catholic College reflect part of Dot’s life and loves. It was only recently that Dot was granted affiliation into the De La Salle brotherhood at the same chapel – an amazing and very special accolade and recognition for her many years of service. This had to be approved by the Vatican – a big deal, indeed.
Join us as we celebrate an amazing "Woman of the West" and a life well lived. Her legacy will live on in her lyrics and her wonderful guidance given to students over all those years of teaching.
We will miss her terribly but we will also know that she lived her life as she knew it was right and she left it in the same way.
Our condolences to Fred, Stephen and Jenny.
Join us as we bid her farewell. May she rest in peace.
Mick Martin.

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Neville Briggs

Aaah, Neville Briggs, you meant so much to so many, but I doubt you ever really knew that. I’m so saddened at the loss of my friend and mentor, who encouraged my poetry writing, gave honest feedback and helped me to think differently about poetry. Neville was a huge part of the ABPA forum in past years. So giving in his support and encouragement, he earned the respect of everyone.
He was also a talented artist and at one time painted a scene from one of my photos taken at Shoal Bay. Neville was unassuming, modest and shy. He was also a talented and clever man and will be sorely missed. In the last few years he found love and happiness with his lovely Irish lady, Terrie.
Heather Knight.

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John Lees

In the early hours of Friday 25th August, John Lees of Bundaberg, Queensland passed away after suffering a stroke in May. He was 88 years old.
John and his wife Sandy were outstanding organisers and hosts of the Bundy Muster bush poetry festivals for 22 years. They were also staunch supporters of the Bundaberg Poets Society and any budding bush poetry performers.
John took on technical aspects such as stages, sound and lighting with his trademark attention to detail and friendliness.
Sandy and John have attended many bush poetry events across the country over the years, always enjoying themselves and offering help. They were invaluable support to the Naked Poets, handling ticketing and merchandise at many of their shows, especially during the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Always ready to offer constructive advice and help poets in whatever way he could, John was a generous and enthusiastic supporter of poets at all levels.
Outside of bush poetry, John had also been involved in square dancing and was a highly-skilled and sought-after motor trimmer and upholsterer. He never really retired and worked from his shed in the backyard until very recently.
John Lees was a great mate to so many bush poets and will be sorely missed. Our sympathies go to his wife Sandy and their three children and their families.
John’s funeral was held on Friday 1 September where Ray Essery spoke eloquently on behalf of the poets who knew and respected John. Thank you Ray.

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Donald Crane

Donald Crane was born and educated in Moree, NSW and died in Toowoomba, Queensland on 30th July 2023, aged 92. His funeral service was held in Toowoomba on Tuesday 8th August.
His entire working life was spent in the cattle industry — twenty years on large commercial properties in northern NSW and south west Queensland. In 1968 he joined the CSIRO as Livestock Overseer/Manager at Narayen Research Station, Mundubbera.
It was only since retiring in 1988 that Don started writing bush verse and success came with his very first poem. A Funny Breed of Cattle won the Queensland Country Life poetry competition and was a cheeky look at the youth who frequent Queen Street Mall in Brisbane. The challenge of competing with other writers of bush poetry provided the inspiration to continue writing and competing in written bush verse competitions around the country.
Don won over a dozen prestigious written competitions and said it was “the icing on the cake” to win the Bronze Swagman Award for written bush poetry in 2013 with his poem Midnight Muster. The poem pays tribute to legendary stockman Jim Wormwell and tells of a real-life, authentic and personal experience taken from the author’s own working life.
He also accumulated a swag full of places and highly commended awards. Several of his poems were published in the Melbourne Books’ Anthology, Award Winning Bush Verse and Stories 2012 and 2013. He also had his own book of verse published and launched at the Outback Writers Festival in Winton, Queensland shortly before his death.
Although a non-performer, Don travelled over 80,000 km following the bush poetry circuit around Queensland and NSW attending events as far afield as Winton, Charters Towers, Bundaberg, Tenterfield and Dunedoo. He was a familiar figure to those who competed at these festivals and was thrilled that other poets recited his poetry in competition.
The following award-winning poems by Donald Crane are on the ABPA Poetry page:
A Bovine World
Bush Mother
Dooley’s Banker
Drover Dreaming
Equus Caballus (The Horse)
The Old Timer
The book Verse by Donald Crane, edited by Jeff Close, is available from Outback Books.

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John Best

Our Best poet is gone.
Long John Best finally succumbed to his long-suffered respiratory condition on Sunday morning 29th May 2022. He was 84 years old.
John was a highly awarded performance poet and writer having performed all around Australia and even represented Australia at the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko Nevada, USA. His dry wit and humour made him a popular performer and his towering physique made him easily recognisable in any crowd.
A stalwart of the North Pine Bush Poets, John contributed to many festivals, events and fund-raisers. As an ex-serviceman, he gave freely of his talents at many Anzac Day and military commemorations. He was also very encouraging of new poets and performers, assisting in whatever way he could.
With his humour and readily expressed opinions he was an easy conversationalist and a great bloke to be around. He’ll be sorely missed.

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Terry Regan

2007 Australian Male Champion bush poet Terry Regan passed away on 23rd February 2021. One of Nature’s gentlemen, Terry had a rich deep voice and was an outstanding performer. He and his wife Dulcie (deceased) travelled widely through Australia, attending poetry events and spreading the joy of bush poetry. Terry will be sadly missed.

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Hal Pritchard

ABPA past-president Hal Pritchard died on 18th January 2021 at age 79. For over a decade and a half, Hal brought his diverse background experiences and managerial skills into the poetic arena and his consequent contributions to the ABPA were significant.
As well as travelling Australia for nine years as an administrator, a performance judge and workshop co-presenter, Hal served as ABPA President in 2014 and 2015 and as Vice-President in 2016.
Hal is mourned by his poet wife of 54 years, Brenda Joy (who he supported in every capacity) by all the members of both sides of their loving family, and by friends and associates world-wide.

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Lynden Baxter

Respected ABPA bush poet Lynden Baxter from Monto Queensland passed away in Bundaberg on 23rd June 2017.
Lynden was the 2016 Clancy’s Choice overall male winner at the Man From Snowy River Festival in Corryong Victoria on his first visit to that festival. He was also 2015 Queensland Male Bush Poetry Performance Champion at the Bundy Muster, and is in fact still the holder of that title. He and his faithful dog Dusty were well known to many.
North Pine Bush Poets member John Best wrote, "Lynden was a great bloke, wonderful writer and performer and will be sadly missed by all who were lucky enough to meet him."
He will be sorely missed and our sympathy is with his family.
A graveside service was held on Saturday 1st July at the Monto Cemetery.

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John Major

It is with great sadness that we report the sudden and unexpected death of one of our long-time stalwarts, John Major on 12 January 2017. John shared his love for bush poetry with adults and children throughout Australia for many years. The Aussie Bush Poetry community is poorer for his loss and our sincere sympathy goes to his family at this sad time.

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Milton Taylor
15.06.43 – 16.05.15

Without doubt,  the greatest poet of modern times in this country. He wrote and performed ‘people’s poetry’ – from witty gems to literary masterpieces, some utterly hilarious and others incredibly moving.
His works are recited and loved by people of all ages and all walks of life throughout Australia and in the United States, where performance tours took him for ten years.
He was immensely humble, sharing his talent to inspire many other poets and bringing the sheer joy of poetry to children.
Milton remained a man of principle, wit, honour and courage to the very end.
Many of his award-winning poems appear on the poetry page of this site. You’ll see above that Milton was five-times Australian Champion — more than anyone else.

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Cliff Hathway
Cliff Hathway was a true gentleman who helped start the Tamworth Poetry Reading Group along with Maureen Quickenden back in the early 1980s. He passed away on 13 February 2015.
Cliff, along with his family, worked in the poultry industry around the Tamworth area and knew all of the local bush poets over a thirty year span.
Cliff would recite poems at the monthly poets gathering at Tamworth and attend reunions to celebrate the love of Australian Bush Poetry.

“We held Cliff’s funeral here at Strath Holm, his family’s home for 3 generations.  It was a beautiful setting and everyone said it was the loveliest funeral they had ever been to.  He would have been pleased. A fair bit of poetry too.”

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Harold Cunningham

16/02/1935 – 18/08/2014
From his first encounter with bush poetry in Tamworth in the early 1990s, bush born and bred Harold and his wife Margaret were (Margaret still is) very staunch supporters and members of the ABPA.  They travelled many thousands of kilometres to as many bush poetry competitions as possible.  Ably assisted by Harold, Margaret (with permission) could always be seen in the front row videoing as many artists as she was permitted to film.  Also, she was always the first to the product table to purchase cassettes, CDs, videos or DVDs to add to their vast poetry collection.
Margaret is determined to continue to support our genre but Harold is sadly missed.
Belatedly, bush poetry says goodbye and thank you to “every poet’s greatest fan”.

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